Chapter 1 A Maraudering Christmas
by VoodooPadfoot
Summary: This is the story of Florence Jorkins... inspiration of the "I saw him kissing Florence behind the Greenhouses..." you know the rest. Flo wants to see if Sirius really likes her. The girl seems like Tonks but belive me she's not! SB/OC JP/LE


_**Revenge is the Sweetest thing**___

A sign was put up in each of the common rooms two weeks before the start of the Christmas holidays which caused great interest around the seventh year students.

"What's all this about?" called Sirius, wandering up to the notice board to see what all the commotion was about.

Two girls, Lizy Warren and Mary MacDonald, who had been reading the sign turned around at the sound of his voice and burst into hyperactive giggles. He raised his eyebrows; this was odd even by their standards… and from experience, he knew that was quite low. He walked closer to the sign and read;

_**Leavers Christmas Ball**_

_**All Seventh years are invited to the annual Leavers ball. It will take place in the great hall on Christmas Eve. Please be aware that this is a formal occasion and as such, you will need to wear dress robes. **_

_**Although this is only open to the seventh years, you are allowed to invite a younger student if you feel so obliged. **_

_**If you would like to attend the Ball, you will have to sign up for staying over Christmas at Hogwarts.**_

_**Merry Christmas,**_

_**Prof. McGonagall.**_

Sirius read the sign three times, pondering over whether to go or not. He was sure to enjoy if he did, but then again he wanted to go to the Potters for Christmas.

As though he had some sought of a sonar sensor which went off when Sirius thought of him, at that precise moment, James jumped up behind him and shouted, "Just read it Padfoot? God you get up late on a Sunday."

"Hey, Prongs." Sirius grinned. "Where are Moony and Wormy?"

"At breakfast," replied James quickly, pushing aside Sirius' question as though he evidently had something more important to say. "So… do you think I have a chance?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. If he didn't know James as well as he did, he'd probably ask, _"A chance at what, Prongs?" _But sadly, he _did_ know James and so he just waited for him to banter on, as Sirius knew he would.

"You know… do you think Lily will say yes to me?"

Oh my GOD! Sirius thought, bloody Merlin's mother. "What do you expect?" Sirius asked him, incredulous. Teasing James always felt like a good start to a promising day.

At James' blank, yet slightly imploring face, Sirius continued, "Do you expect that somehow, after years of weird schemes to win _'I'm too good for a Marauder' _Lily, she'll just fall for you because you ask her again?"

James put his hands up, as if to surrender, and replied, "Just because you will never understand the heart of a true romantic."

Sirius started coughing violently. "What's wrong?" James asked, hiding his worry.

Sirius stood up straight, at least four inches taller than James and grinned. "Sorry, Prongs. It's just that whenever a supposedly cool Marauder starts talking about bloody _romanticism_, I have an allergic reaction."

James sniggered slightly and they both walked down to breakfast, the eyes of Lizy and Mary following Sirius' retreating back.

The same notice was put up in the Ravenclaw common room that morning, although for Florence Jorkins, the whole thing was idiotic and vacuous, no matter what her room-mates said. It was another reason to get girls to dress up just so men could screw them and then ditch them in the morning.

This was, at least, what she told her friends. The truth was that for two years, she'd been had an _extremely_ casual relationship with nothing less or more than Sirius Black. Flo didn't know exactly what she felt for Sirius. He had stopped talking to her at the end of October, claiming that seeing her publicly wouldn't be possible because of… wait a moment, he'd never actually explained _why_. Why he strung her along for two years. Why he had ditched her when her sister had caught them behind the greenhouses and then picked it up again the next month. But to be fair, she didn't really get upset by it. Flo always knew that they had a disposable relationship, that she could drop dead right in front of him and he wouldn't as much as bat an eyelid. She was happy with their relationship, or lack-there-of, that was at least… until October!

Thinking these thoughts again made Flo dig her fingernails into the palms of her hand in anger, but unlike most girls, this did not hurt her. She examined her bitten, worn nails, with smatterings of black on them and grinned. This was ultimate proof of all her mother gets at her about, "Ladies _always _have great nails!"

Florence Jorkins was a girl of many oddities, one of which was her appearance. Ever since arriving at Hogwarts, Florence had found the uniform restrictive in allowing her to express her opinion and since that moment had gone all out on trying to personalise her dull robes to suit her vivacious personality. She first dyed her hair in their second year, believing her natural colour of mousy-brown didn't truly show her in the right light. She started off with dyeing it flaming crimson, and then in third year she dyed it once again to become a soft blonde. After many experiments with every shade, from brightest white to deepest indigo, Flo settled around Christmas the year before for Electric Blue, a colour disapproved on by many of the teachers. She also wore waistcoats over her robes and oddly designed top hats, rather than her usual plain black witch's one on top of her none-too-stylishly unkempt hair.

From this, and her exceptional ability to argue anything till she had won, people had long ago learnt that Flo was an incredibly _odd_ girl who was generally to be avoided at all costs. However, Flo had many good friends who could see through this and just knew as an incredibly entertaining, witty girl. These friends always included Gryffindor's, self-proclaimed "Marauders" and a general assortment of guys from every house. Florence always found it easier to interact with men than women because, although she had many friends who were of the fairer sex, she found men easier to talk to.

Thinking back to her bitterness, she noticed that he does still talk to her… in notes. What a bloody _coward_. He shouldn't be in Gryffindor. Every single flipping lesson they have together, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and Potions. Sending kinky messages right under Vance, McGonagall and Sluggy's nose; she had to give him a little credit… he has a nerve.

She heard Elvira Charlton call her name and looked around.

"Hey, Elle," she replied. "Have you seen the notice?"

Elvira nodded, as much as Flo loved her she was an incredibly quiet, shy girl; the complete opposite of her friend. One of the great things they had in common was their complete ignorance of their own beauty. Both of them were beautiful, bright, but incredibly ignorant of it.

Elle wasn't one to have many friends or be the centre of attention so she was happy to spend her time with a slightly quirky, generally entertaining friend; however she did have others. Elle spent a great deal of her time with some Hufflepuff friends as well as Flo, which neither of them minded because they only had Charms together.

The two friends stepped out of the wooden door which separated the Ravenclaw common room from the rest of the school, and they too went down to eat their breakfast.

Lily Evans met up with the pair over at the Ravenclaw table, her long red hair tied back in a pair of elegant plaits. Lily had always been a good friend of Flo's since they had met at a party of Slughorn's favourites in their second year. She sat down and opened the newspaper. This is the main reason Florence loved Lily, neither of them cared about the house system. Admittedly, Lily was keener to keep up appearances with her housemates than Flo was, but not enough to not talk to her other friends at meal times.

Trying to prompt Lily into explaining why she had come over here to do nothing more than read the paper, Flo raised her eyebrows at her over the pumpkin juice.

Lily sighed and closed the newspaper with a strained expression. "I want to go with Potter to the ball."

Elle almost choked on her pumpkin juice, Benedict Corner and Jacob Davis (who had been listening in) both looked utterly appalled.

Flo, however, had been expecting this. Patting Elle on the back she laughed at her friend. "I was waiting for you to say that. You've been talking about him in a lot less loathing in your voice recently, a _lot_ less."

She gave Lily a patronising smile to which she replied, "I didn't come over here just to talk about _me_ though."

"Oh, that's a surprise," Flo scorned.

Lily ignored this and continued in a slight whisper, "There is a certain, rather sexy, Monsieur Noir over at my table who I have just overheard telling his army of delinquents that he is seriously contemplating asking a certain pretty, dark-eyed Ravenclaw to this delightful ball I mentioned earlier."

On Flo's other side she could see Elle hide her head in her hands in the shame of her two friends.

"Can we please not talk about this, Lils?"

Lily sighed in exasperation at her friend's stubbornness. "Break time, in the library. Be there Florence Jorkins."

And with that, Lily Evans stood up and strolled off to her class leaving the Ravenclaws in a slightly confused silence.

Sirius stood outside Transfiguration with the rest of the Marauders. All of them had taken the same subjects, and naturally being Animagi, one of these was Transfiguration.

As Flo walked towards them alone, Sirius fell silent half-way between a conversation with Moony.

Remus turned around to see what had distracted his friend. "Sirius," he started gravely, "just ask her for Merlin's sake. There can be no harm done if you do."

Not taking his eyes off Flo, Sirius replied, "You really don't get it mate. You have _no _idea of the harm I could do."

"That's quite deep for you this early in the morning," Lupin teased.

But before Sirius could reply, Flo had tripped on one of the uneven, stone slabs; books and quills flying everywhere, the others roaring with laughter.

Sirius ran forward at the chance to help her. He waved his wand and all her books and papers fell into a neat pile, then he went to help her up.

He put out a strong arm for her to grab onto. But as Flo looked up at her helper a look of confusion spread across her beautiful face. She was lingering a little too long in his books so, as a form of encouragement, he gave her his signature wink. Flo rolled her eyes and grabbed onto his hand, Sirius passed Flo her possessions and gestured for her to walk with him.

Not able to believe his luck that she would actually be seen with him, he grinned stupidly into the class.

Flo sat with Peter, to whom she'd been assigned partner, as they were practising dyeing there eyebrows.

She was an expert in this field, having done it many a times to her hair. But she couldn't help show the faintest surprise in how well Peter, who was always never too good at magic, had been able to do it on his first attempt. When she asked him how, he just shrugged. "I study a lot."

Flo laughed. This was a pathetic lie even for him, she knew the Marauders never studied, they spent their time wondering the school grounds at night. Flo knew this because she often did the same, but they never stayed long, she could never tell where they went.

Sirius saw her laughing from across the classroom and seized his chance; he nicked a piece of parchment from James and wrote in his untidy scrawl,

_Flo,_

_As you probably already know, there is a ball on Christmas Eve in the Great Hall, I was just wondering if you would be so willing to go with me. I believe you would look very sexy in a dress, but even more with them off- _

He scribbled the last bit out, he knew how to win girls over, but Flo needed more respect than that.

_-please tell me soon if you would like to come. _

_S.B. x_

He crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it at Flo's desk, it hit right on target.

She looked down at the piece of paper, in curiosity not confusion; she knew exactly who this would be from. "Peter?" she asked. Her partner didn't seem to have noticed the distraction. Slightly relived to be put with such a naïve boy as a partner she picked up the ball of parchment.

With a long fingered hand she unfolded the scrap of parchment. She couldn't see what it said which had been scribbled out, but she could easily tell.

Seizing her chance, Flo scribbled her reply back;

_Ask me in person. You bloody coward! How the fuck did you end up in Gryffindor? _

She screwed it up and threw it in Sirius's direction; it hit him right in the back of the head. Flo saw Sirius open the note, read it and then shoot an incredibly irritated look at her. Florence put her hands up in an innocent surrender but burst out laughing, which ruined the effect.

Half an hour later the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson. Sirius rushed to the door, desperate to catch Flo before she evaded him once more… but she was too quick for him. She had caught up with Lily and they were going at an incredibly fast pace towards the library. He had never told Florence how he truly felt about her, let alone in front of Lily Evans, so he decided to wait for the other Marauders and spend break with them.

"Well?" Lily asked her friend as soon as they had dumped their bags down and sat in their favourite corner of the library.

"Well what?" Flo replied innocently.

"Have you given any more thought to the matter we talked about at Breakfast?" Lily urged on her friend who was staying resolutely oblivious to the question. "I saw you sending _not-too-discrete _notes to each other in Transfiguration. Do you care to elaborate my dear?"

Flo paused and then, "He asked me if I wanted to go."

Lily's eyes lit up with delight, "and? What did you say?"

Flo grinned. This is one of the many qualities she lacked to be a true _teenage girl_. She really couldn't give a fuck about other people's private lives, it was their business not hers. It was probably why she spent so much time with guys. Just to humour her friend however, she replied, "I told him that he should ask me in person, and that he was a fucking coward for doing it in a note."

She watched as the red-head's mouth fell open. "I'd like to quickly clear something up because I seem to have missed it. Do you actually _intend _to say yes if he asks you?"

"No," Flo replied simply.

Utterly bewildered now, Lily asked, "You've liked him for _years _now though! He asks you out, which is what you always complained he'd never do when he was getting off with you while going out with loads of other girls… and now you _don't _want it! What's got into you Flo?"

"I'll have you know, Lily 'I am so perfect' Evans, that nothing has got into me for a while!" Flo replied, in an all too silly manner.

Lily scowled at the immaturity of her friend. Lily always preferred if Flo didn't talk about her sex life to her when she knew fully well that her audience was still a virgin. "Don't change the subject Flossie! If you aren't going with Sirius, is there some one else?"

"There will be." Flo grinned evilly.

Lily paused for a while, contemplating her friend. "Have you ever thought of yourself as quite… _loose_?"

Flo raised her eyebrows, annoyed. "I'm not the 'loose' one. It's him. He goes out with girls yet still gets with me on the side."

"My GOD, Flo. You can't keep doing this, he really likes you." Her raised voice earned her a scowl from the librarian.

This is what angered Flo most about her relationship with Sirius. Everyone told Flo that he really liked her, but Sirius himself had _never _said those words. This is why she was ready for some pay back.

"Look," Lily began, in a slightly quieter voice than before. "Who is this mystery man anyway? The one who, you claim, will be going with you."

Florence grinned again. "You'll see. You'll all see."

With that, the girl picked up her book-bag and went off to find _the mystery man_.


End file.
